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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fine — all right
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitch — completely
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bass — low music
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. rash — a series
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com